By Gil Pound 

T wo Georgia College & State University Department of Public Safety officers received statewide recognition recently. 

The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police honored Deputy Chief Maj. Brian Freese as Supervisor of the Year and Officer Orion Johnson as Officer of the Year during the GACP fall conference held Sept. 21-24 in Savannah, Georgia. 

Major Freese and Officer Johnson were named as the top officers in their respective roles among K-12 and higher education public safety departments across the state. 

“We’re so fortunate to have individuals working at this department that care so much about the job they do and the campus community they serve,” Georgia College Police Chief Wes Hardin said. “They are always willing to go above and beyond to do everything they can to provide a safe and secure learning environment while also engaging with our students and being part of the community.” 

Cultivating Talent 

Freese has been with GCSU Public Safety since July 2024, helping the department meet operational objectives and overseeing policy, training, fiscal affairs, risk management and evidence handling. 

That’s the day-to-day. Freese sees those duties as a way of guiding the department in its mission to serve, protect and educate the Georgia College campus community.  

“Receiving Supervisor of the Year means a great deal to me,” he said. “I see it as a reflection of the people I have the privilege to serve. My goal as a supervisor is to support our team, help each person grow professionally, and give them what they need to succeed. I’m grateful to work alongside colleagues whose professionalism, unity, and commitment to our purpose make our Department of Public Safety stronger every day.” 

Freese played a major role in the department obtaining GACP accreditation earlier this year, achieving a level of certification met by only 15% of law enforcement agencies in the state. Agencies must meet well over 140 standards and applications must pass through multiple levels of review to attain GACP accreditation. 

“Major Freese has been absolutely invaluable in growing this department as a professional law enforcement agency,” Hardin said. “He has really streamlined department operations in a number of ways and always represents us in a professional manner to help build our reputation not only across campus, but across the state as one of the agencies that is doing things right.” 

Comfortable in Uniform 

When Officer Johnson joined Georgia College Public Safety in July 2023, he became the third member of his family to do so. His mother was a campus police officer, and his older brother is currently a sergeant with the department. 

The son of two retired military members, Johnson has been comfortable in a uniform since participating in JROTC while attending Baldwin High School. He jumped back into uniform just over three years ago and can often be seen interacting with students, faculty and staff while conducting foot patrols through campus. 

“The way I police is the way I live my life,” Johnson said. “Everything always boils down to the golden rule. Any interaction I have, I treat people the way I want to be treated. That’s how I conduct myself every day.” 

In addition to patrol duties, Johnson regularly takes on the added responsibility of educating student groups on Public Safety’s role in maintaining safety on campus. That type of outreach is normally reserved for sergeants or above, but command staff knows Johnson will represent the department in a professional manner. 

“Officer Johnson embodies everything we strive to be here at Georgia College & State University, between his dedication to the campus community, to the faculty, staff and students, and to the professionalism of the job,” said Hardin. “He approaches every incident as an opportunity for community outreach, treating everybody with dignity and respect. If he’s being dispatched to a call, I know it’s going to be handled correctly.” 

GACP award recipients are nominated by their departments and evaluated by a committee consisting of GACP employees and chiefs of police from across the state. 

Header Image: Deputy Chief Maj. Brian Freese and Officer Orion Johnson with their awards from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. (Photo: Gil Pound)